Hope Not Hate have sent an open letter to the home secretary with more than 2,000 signatures collected in less than 24 hours, asking for Geller and Spencer to be denied entry to the UK.

The letter reads: "We believe that their [Spencer and Geller's] ultimate objective is to incite hatred against all Muslims and the consequences of their very presence in the UK will give encouragement to racists and extremists, who seek to use the awful murder of Drummer Lee Rigby to further their hateful agenda.

"Geller and Spencer are the most prominent anti-Muslim activists in the United States and their organisation, the American Freedom Defense Initiative, is widely considered a hate organisation. It recently placed adverts on the transport systems of several cities calling Muslims 'savages'.

"We believe that there is no place for such hate in the United Kingdom."

Geller told HuffPostUK on Twitter that the petition from Hope Not Hate was "Fascism and Hate. SS-like thuggery".

The EDL plan a demonstration, with Geller and Spencer scheduled to speak along with Anders Gravers of the Danish group 'Stop the Islamisation of Europe', in Woolwich on 29 June, Armed Forces Day.

The post on their website says: "For these three pioneers of the counter-Jihad movement to congregate and speak in Woolwich is quite phenomenal. We shall give them a warm welcome. They are the voices of common sense in a world of wilful blindness."

The EDL also plan a 17-mile 'Walk of Honour' led by Robinson and deputy leader Kevin Carroll. A post about the event suggests that the two men plan to march through multicultural areas where tensions could be easily inflamed.

“The walk will follow a route that is not for the faint-hearted and has the possibility to create headline news before its conclusion in Woolwich. Tommy and Kev will be walking alone through some of the most dangerous neighbourhoods of London. A scary prospect for any man but for the two leaders of the EDL; they are brave men."